A review by tdap1899
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

adventurous dark emotional sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

While reading I felt like I was on a rollercoaster, there were very sweet and heart lifting moments but then there were very awful and heartbreaking moments since it is based on Greek mythos I had an idea of what was going to happen which led to me being very tense and stressed throughout the read.
Would I keep? Yes.
With some brief reflection, I did really enjoy the book and it is spectacularly written with strong characters and very hard hitting twists and turns. That being said I have a kind of love hate relationship with the book as the relationships depicted in it aren't the healthiest but I also think that's what adds to such strong characters and make you feel so invested into the story. It very unapologetically stuck closely to the general cadence and themes of Greek mythos and the time period it is set in which I respect even if it made me uncomfortable at times. I don't think that makes it any less of a good book, I just think it needs approached cautiously as it can be very emotionally taxing.
I would rec to someone who is first off in a good enough place mentally to take on the emotional endeavor this book is, know you're limits and know when to take a pause. Rec to people who like greek mythology and various retellings of it like lore olympus. A book I found myself thinking of a lot when it came to this book was Romeo and Juliet it reminded me a lot of it throughout the whole book. 

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